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MANSFIELD - Not until the final pass fell to the ground, tipped a couple of times and barely out of the reach of a potential receiver, was this game settled Saturday.

So it is in the ongoing football rivalry between North Attleboro and Mansfield, one of the best there is.

"I've been talking a lot about the quality of the kids that we have," said North coach Don Johnson, "and I know every coach says that about their kids, but if any group of kids ever deserved to win, it's this group right here."

Johnson's praise of his Red Rocketeers couldn't have been more well-deserved. Down by 11 points with 4:23 to go, they scored with 1:17 left, recovered an onside kick and then put the winning points in their 28-25 victory over the Hornets on the board with 41 seconds left on a 10-yard pass from Joe Kummer to Dan Johnson (the coach's son), followed by Dylan Rayburg's sweep for the extra points.

And even then, it wasn't over. In typical North-vs.-Mansfield fashion, the Hornets moved from their own 41 to the North 32 on completions of 15 yards to Jeff Hill and 22 yards to Kevone Rogers. But facing third-and-10 and just five ticks on the clock, and with a 49-yard field goal attempt seen as out of kicker Don Washburn's range, Mansfield's Nik Busharis threw into the end zone - where, after two Rocketeers batted the heave around, it fell just out of the reach of a prone Matt Zonghetti as time expired.

"Money's worth tonight for the fans," Hornets' coach Mike Redding said. "Both teams just have too much pride, too much heart, and it's never over until you see zeroes on the clock."

It had been an emotionally challenging week for the Red Rocketeers, who participated in the Thursday candlelight vigil for U.S. Marine Capt. Kyle Van De Giesen, who was killed Oct. 26 in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Van De Giesen quarterbacked the Rocketeers in the 1997 MIAA playoffs, and with his younger brother, Ryan, a member of the North coaching staff, the tragedy was tangible in the locker room.

"We tried not to let it be a burden for the kids," Johnson said. "But there was no escaping it. They were at the vigil Thursday night, and they were working at it, and the kids really felt strongly about it. We talked in the pre-game about how we wanted to win it for the Van De Giesens."

Mansfield also served as a generous and caring host, raising more than $1,800 through a 50-50 raffle at Alumni Field for a fund set up to benefit Capt. Van De Giesen's family.

Once the game was underway, however, these rivals played one of the most intense and entertaining games in the long series.

Mansfield jumped in front first, taking the first possession 78 yards in nine plays to Busharis' 37-yard touchdown pass to Zonghetti just 4:43 into the game. North served notice that the game wouldn't be a runaway, surviving a 64-yard pass to Zonghetti (three catches, 114 yards) when Matt Moore broke through to deflect a 25-yard field goal attempt by Washburn with 7:39 left in the half.

North covered the 80 yards after the block in 10 plays, including a 35-yard toss by Kummer to Johnson (four catches, 144 yards) to set up Ryan Flannery's 4-yard catch on a crossing pattern in the end zone, tying the score at 7-7 with 4:29 left.

Mansfield responded quickly, a 48-yard screen pass to Jamel Marshall setting up the first of three TDs for Hornet running back Shawn Doherty, this one from 4 yards out. But Washburn's kick missed the mark, and after Kummer threw a 56-yard pass to Johnson on the ensuing possession, Johnson took a 4-yard end-around in with 1:40 left, and Corey Wynn's kick gave North a 14-13 halftime lead.

Fumbles on both of the Rocketeers' third-quarter possessions turned into Mansfield points. The first, recovered by Rogers at the Mansfield 45 with 7:52 left in the quarter, started an eight-play march, all on the ground, with Busharis' 20-yard scamper on third down setting up a 10-yard scoring run by Doherty (who had 91 of his 93 rushing yards in the second half).

The second fumble, recovered by Rodney Chance at the Mansfield 1 as Brett Mastropoll was about to put North back in front, started a 99-yard drive for the Hornets. Doherty carried on seven of the 11 plays before he broke a 31-yard TD run up the middle with 4:23 to go. Busharis overthrew Hill in the corner on the conversion, but the drive took 7:04 off the clock.

Taking over at the 30, Kummer played possibly the best football of his career. He completed six of eight passes on the 70-yard drive, including three straight 9-yard possession throws to Flannery (7-94) and a pair of 11-yarders to Mastropoll. Then, facing fourth-and-goal at the Mansfield 4, Kummer found Evan Dean on an underneath pattern to cut the deficit to 25-20 with 1:17 to go.

Mastropoll recovered the onside kick at his own 49, and North had its chance to complete the miracle comeback.

On the first play, Kummer went deep down the right sideline for 43 yards, where Johnson made an acrobatic catch for first-and-goal at the Mansfield 9. A running play lost a yard, Rogers knocked the ball out of the hands of Flannery on what would have been a score, and Kummer threw low on the third-down pass to Flannery with 45 seconds left.

On the all-or-nothing fourth-down play, North had two options in effect and it was up to Kummer to choose the right one.

"There was an out-slant and a post," the senior quarterback said, "I had to read them and whatever was open, throw to the open man. That's what they teach us."

Kummer found Johnson going right to left with just enough open space to burn the ball into his jersey number for the winning score.

"They've got some good, skilled guys in the receiving corps that are tough to match up," said Redding. "Kummer made some great throws with pressure, right into the spot he needed to make them."

It was a dazzling game for the quarterbacks. Kummer completed 15 of 21 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns (153.3 NFL passer rating) while Busharis was 8-for-15 for 233 yards and one TD (120.8 rating).

Mansfield (7-2, 5-2 in the Hockomock League) will play a non-leaguer at East Bridgewater Friday, while North (6-3, 4-3) entertains Canton Saturday at Beaupre Field.